NBA 2K26 is coming soon and it has a boatload of new features that I personally am pretty excited about. Here is a rundown of what has got me ready to ball out this season:
Rebound Timing
I’ll be the first to admit that I am one of the people who constantly think “That should have been mine!” when it comes to a rebound. In reality, I’m jumping at the wrong time most of the time. 2K26 is addressing this by giving feedback on when you are actually timing your jump. A meter below your player will appear to let you know how you did. This is essential to build a better habit for me (and unfortunately, my opponents) to jump properly. No more excuses for me. No way. But…maybe just some.
Collisions Revamp
Collision detection and motion is a pretty difficult thing to nail down in video games. Especially sports titles. 2K has stated that they changed the game with more dynamic motions that veer off from the “stuck in an animation” types we have seen in the past. I want to feel like what I am doing directly impacts the play instead of the animation that is chosen. It seems like this is the direction we are headed.
Green OR Miss
In the past, I would have been so turned off at this as I was TERRIBLE at hitting greens on the shot timer. Now, years later and much more experience making builds and jump shots, I am excited. No more watching OVR 75s nail multiple 3s in a row without hitting a single green. Is it greedy that I feel since I put in the work it should pay off towards my advantage? Yes. Does it raise the skill gap? Also yes. Regardless, I am stoked to get that feeling of GREEEEEEEEN back in my system.
Lighting
It may not mean much to some but holy moly does this make a difference to me. From NBA 2K’s Instagram below, we can see the difference in the lighting in the arena and on the court. Visually, this brings in a totally new realm of immersion and I am here for it.
ProPlay Motion Engine
Promising an uplift to expand on the work created back in 2K21, 2K has stated that 26 has the biggest update to the engine since then and will improve all aspects of motion and animation throughout each mode. Basketball is all about movement so it is nice to see a hefty focus on getting that down to perfection.
Plenty More
There are a bunch of new updates outside of the core coming to NBA 2K26. MyPlayer builds, MyTeam, MyNBA, and more are all getting new and shiny features. While we have to wait for some of these to be revealed, you can check out any announced updates in 2K’s Courtside Report. The rest of the roadmap is as follows:
MyTEAM: Week of August 11
The W: Week of August 11
MyCAREER: Week of August 18
MyNBA: Week of August 18
The City: Week of August 25
NBA 2K26 will be available for purchase September 5th (early access on August 29th) on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and Steam for PC.
